Early roses

An exciting time for sure - the roses are starting to bloom! Roses dominate our garden so the month of May is prime time. The photo above shows one of my favorite roses, "Buff Beauty". Underneath is some type of wild daisy that I don't have the heart to pull out. Michael thinks they look weedy but I think they compliment the rose quite nicely. In the following photo, you can see the magnificent Beauty Bush (Kolkwitzia amabilis), a shrub that I would not be without in the garden. I love it!




"Lamarque" on the arch is a sumptuous white climber. It took years before this rose started blooming profusely. I had almost reached the point to shovel prune it when all of a sudden, it took off. Perhaps she was reading my thoughts? The pink rose next to it is "Carefree Wonder" and the red is blooms from the rootstock.


Another archway rose is the classic "Blaze". I've moved this rose countless times over the years so I'm amazed that it still survives. A workhorse for sure but the growth is a tad puny. I would like to see it fill out more.


"Climbing American Beauty" and "Sombreuil" on yet another archway. This is on the north side of the house and gets limited sun but the roses bloom nicely.


"Climbing American Beauty" obviously prefers the other side of the arch.


"Climbing Cecile Brunner" is one of the very first roses we planted. We built this structure over the back door when it became obvious that this monster could not handle a smaller support. At one time, a silver lace vine accompanied it but the mess it made was such a headache that we finally gave it the heave-ho.


You have to remember to look up to see the rose but it is so spectacular when in bloom. Sadly, the show is over all too soon. I cannot capture the delicate pink shades of the blooms with my camera.

Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy